Living the single life

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Cures for singleton malaise

If you are single, you know it’s easy to sit on your couch one evening (maybe after a wedding or visiting friends with adorable little ones) and find yourself to be generally down in the dumps… “Two glasses of wine away from resurrecting your Match.com profile” in the dumps.

Suddenly you’re struck by the fact that you were only one of a few who went home to an empty house and how much you miss the human interaction.It could also be that your roommate left a pile of dishes in the sink to greet you or your dog decided to destroy your bathroom out of retribution for being gone so long. The bottom line is that things are looking pretty bleak.

We’ve all been there and, yes, it sucks like a Dyson. But here are some of my foolproof ways to cure the “singleton malaise” and, no, they don’t include alcohol or logging on your OK Cupid profile:

Get on the phone. No, not texting and certainly not with that Debbie Downer of a friend who wants to talk about all her medical problems all the time. (You only call that chick when you can handle it and today is not that day.) Call someone upbeat and pleasant to chat and joke about life. Notice the rise in serotonin levels once you get off the phone. Win!

Hit the gym. Meeting a cutie on the ellipitical machines would be a bonus but what I really mean is to get that adrenaline pumping. The resulting endorphin spike also helps to make you feel happier. (Also a brilliant way to avoid eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s.)

Do something for someone else. Call an elderly neighbor and offer to run some errands. Offer to babysit your nieces and nephews. Show up to serve at the soup kitchen. Bring someone dinner. Knit a scarf for your grandmother for a change. More endorphins, my friend!

Eat some turkey or a PBJ. It’s not just the fond memories that gets you going, these comfort foods actually boost your mood! Tryptophan is an amino acid found in turkey, peanut butter, eggs and more and helps produce serotonin.